Child's Play
by AlwaysMaybeObsessed
Summary: Events after ORAS has left the teams working to better themselves in the public eye. Maxie and Archie however, still have dislike running through their veins. When they find two children, almost identical of each other, and take them in, perhaps they can finally move past their years of hate? [Archie/Maxie fanfic, Hardenshipping]
1. Chapter 1

Days had been long and repetitious ever since the end of Team Magma's plan months prior. When Team Aqua was pulled to a halt as well, days just seemed dull but relaxing. Maxie had never realized how stressed pushing his ideal of land expansion had affected him until a week after the young trainer had stopped both teams single handedly.

After such a large blow to his pride he had locked himself in his room for a few days. He sat alone and slept most of the hours away, the others reading and ignoring the worried comments Tabitha and Courtney sent him via phone. The third day is when he noticed when passing by a mirror how thin he was. It had shocked him how much weight he had lost in those months of planning and research. Half of him was disgusted with the complete lack of care he gave to his own body, the other intrigued but otherwise still very frightened.

With that on his mind, he only secluded himself for a few hours before becoming sick of the silence. He dressed himself and walked out of the room into the loft of the hide out. Each grunt instantly growing quiet in anticipation.

"Attention all." His voice rang out loud and clear in the now full room. "In light of recent events, Team Magma will abandon it's original plan of acquiring Groudon and expanding the land."

"However," Their attention hung on him, on his words, very closely. "After much thought, I have decided not to disband Team Magma. Instead our plans will focus more on bettering the land itself. We all have been gifted pardon for our crimes, and while we may never truly be 'good,' we should push for all to see us as great and respectable. Any of you who no longer wish to be apart of this ideal may resign at any time. Thank you."

Clapping and cheering bounced off of every wall in the base that day, his admins congratulating and thanking him.

"I did nothing worth thanking me for." He sighed, already exhausted from the thought of starting over from scratch.

"We'll gladly help in this new plan sir!" Tabitha was on the verge of tears. "You really had us worried."

"I told you they were unwarranted. Maxie always knows what he's doing." Courtney muttered. Seeming to ignore that fact she had sent him as many messages as Tabitha, if not more. Part of him could not throw all that they worked for away, and the worry that nagged his mind of what would become of his subordinates should he shut down the base, most of which might now be unwanted by their families after what they had almost done. Even if the authorities had forgiven them, the general public would be much less inclined to forget.

As such over the next few months, the team worked hard to raise public opinion of them. Quickly hearing through the grapevine Team Aqua was doing the same.

"Should we do something sir?"

Contemplating putting _everything_ in the past, Maxie murmured softly before becoming firm. "No, we have no business with them anymore."

"Understood."

Nothing more became of his old rivalry, in fact he had become so busy trying to keep himself healthy and gaining the knowledge to further their new plan he seemed to forget about team Aqua. Becoming so wrapped up in his team once more, a schedule now in place and followed to a T, that it was surprising when he heard a timid knock on his door during the early morning hours one day.

"Sir...? It's Tabitha."

Maxie felt a himself hiss out a 'what do you want at this ungodly hour...?' but his pillow muffled most of the anger. His admin opened the door and seemed to fidget with panic.

"I'm sorry to wake you boss but-" Not panicked, no, out of breath. He gave a few huffs before continuing. "Someone broke into the base."

Maxie sat up at once, throwing off the blanket and putting on his glasses. "Where are they now? Who are they?"

"I-in a storage closet. A newbie thought he heard crying and-"

"Crying?"

He questioned as he walked into the hall in his pajamas, the urgency more important than trivial garments.

"It's not a robber, I think. Just a kid." They walked at a brisk pace, many of the subordinates now up and readying themselves for the day.

"And why haven't you thrown them out?"

"Sir!" Two grunts, presumedly guarding the door, saluted to him before opening the assumed storage closet. It was dimly lit, but with a flick of a switch the room filled with light. Showing a small child.

"As you can see...it's a young kid. We can't just throw him out."

Indeed the child was young, perhaps 6 or 7, curled up in a corner. Much too young to be a trainer who happened to get lost in the mountains.

"Check all cities for any amber alerts or missing children flyers. I want as many people questioned without raising suspicion."

"Right away boss!"

"Courtney." As her name left his lips she appeared, dressed and ready to go. "Has there been any attempt to get the child's information?"

"Yes sir. As soon as we found him Tabitha went to get you and I attempted to extract his name and hometown."

"And?"

"Nothing. He refuses to speak to anyone of us." She sounded slightly insulted, but otherwise neutral as they walked closer.

"Very well. Anything else?"

As she described the finding of the boy, Maxie noticed the child was now looking at him. Dark arms and legs were scraped and covered in tiny cuts as the short, black hair moved slightly, trying to watch him better.

"You." He cut off Courtney as he got down to eye level the child. "How did you get into our base?"

Slowly, the boy rose his head, large blue eyes puffy and red looked up at him as he let out a sniffle. His face was dirty, as well as his shirt and shorts. His lips were dry and he seemed somewhat sleep deprived. In a small voice the boy spoke.

"I dunno..."

"... ... ..."

Tiny arms wrapped around his neck when he tried to get up, making a disgusted noise crawl out of his throat. "You're filthy..."

"Maxie. What are your orders?" Courtney asked, watching as he cautiously picked the boy up.

"I don't believe he can be of any use in his current state." Any movement made to remove him was met with a shriek of no and his small hands gripping his shirt until his knuckles turned white. Heaving a low sigh, Maxie adjusted him to rest on his arm. "I will give him a bath, during which I want you to find suitable clothing. After which some food and sleep will get him aware enough to speak properly."

"Understood."

Walking while the child clung to him, he returned to his room and began running the bath.

This time the boy didn't fight him when he put him down, nor when he scrubbed him head to toe (he was literally caked in dried mud). Once done rinsing and drying him, Maxie wrapped him up in a towel before fetching the clothing the grunts had found and neatly folded on his desk, as well as a glass of water and the medical kit.

"Drink this."

The boy wasted no time in draining the liquid before getting into the baggy clothes and following him into his office. Rolling out a futon, Maxie instructed him to sit down. He bent down and carefully looked over the cuts, most likely from climbing through bushes and tripping on the unforgiving slope of the mountain. One by one he cleaned and bandaged them before dusting himself off and giving a sound of approval.

Maxie rubbed his temple lightly, he was never a fan of children and yet here was one, unnamed and clinging to HIM of all people.

_Maybe I can get to him to latch onto Tabitha..._

He suddenly felt something tugging on his pant leg, the child, half lidded with sleep trying to get his attention.

"What."

"Maxie...the lady said..." He lulled off into silence.

"Yes." He sighed. "My name's Maxie."

"..."

"And you are...?"

"...Archabald."

"Archibald?" Maxie repeated slowly, the child nodding slightly.

"Mama only calls me that when she's mad though..."

"So...Archie, then." It was more of a statement then a question, but the boy nodded again and solidified the information. "Get some sleep. Then we'll talk."

His small fists refused to let go of his leg, almost holding onto it for dear life when he moved forward.

"You..."

His voice dripped venom, but he froze when he noticed the tears welling in his eyes.

"...I'll be in the room, at the desk. So sleep." Defeated, he let the child get the upper hand on him this once. In a few hours his persons should find his family and return him promptly. He only needed to bear with it for a few hours...

Manually he had to take the hands off his pant leg, but little Archie let him. Maxie was left in quiet as the child fell asleep under the blanket. His exhaustion coupled with the natural warmth of the room was ideal for such a quick transition.

Doing paperwork, hours ticked by and before he realized it, the clock struck 4 pm. His grunts had been out for almost 10 hours. Surely they had gathered the necessary information?

Almost on cue his phone buzzed, but the message itself was of little use to him.

|May we discuss next month's land conservation project?|

|Fine. But make it quick.|

He never understood why he kept that old habit up. The discussions always lasted 3 hours at a minimum with grunts filing in and out to bring in their reports.

"And thus with the current windflow and predicted weather patterns, as well as the patterns documented over the past 25 years during this period we can safely say-"

The soft pitter patter of feet broke him out of his lecture as the boy- Archie, half asleep and pulling the futon's blanket, clammered up to him.

"Good, you're awake." Sending a grunt to prepare a small meal, Maxie set out a cushion on the floor so he could eat at the table. Wrapping himself in the blanket, Archie sat down and tried not to doze off.

"Tabitha, has there been any progress regarding the child?"

"No sir. I sent grunts to every town, even Pacifidlog! No one has ever heard of him, and no reports have been filed in the last 6 months resembling him. If I may add..." His expression grew troubled, and with a wave of a hand to continue, he murmured. "There are no reports of him...period. No birth records, school records, nothing."

"And how, pray tell, were you able to discern that without a name?"

"One of the grunts found these in the boy's clothing you told them to wash."

A wrinkled birth certificate, social card, even photo ID was laid out onto the table.

"My apologies for not telling you sooner, but we needed to make sure they were not falsified."

"... ... ...Right." Even through the creases and dried liquids, the name ARCHIBALD was written clearly on the certificate, but the last name was scribbled out in black pen, quite forcefully too.

"What should we do with him?"

"... ... ..." Folding his hands, he let out a long breath, staring intensely at the table. "Have you traced the birth certificate back to the original hospital?"

"That's another thing..." Tabitha rubbed his neck lightly. "The hospital it came from was part of a large branch that was in every region until about 5 years ago...It has since been closed down completely."

"And after such a length of time all the dated paperwork would have been shredded to make room..."  
>"We can not turn him over to the police." Courtney's voice piped up as she arrived with the plate of food. "They'd send him to foster care."<p>

"... ... ..." A few grunts agreed, expressing their distaste for how they did things 'over there.'

While this new issue would be extremely problematic if allowed to stay, the idea of such a young child being thrown from home to home in such a manner...

"...it looks as if I have no choice."

With not a second wasted, many looked relieved and spoke at him with more respect, heavens knows why. All the while Archie, a new found hunger awoken inside him, ate eagerly.


	2. Chapter 2

The next few days, Maxie expected, would be dealing with a adjusting and unhappy child. Quite the contrary, it took almost 2 weeks for the base to adjust to _him_.

Though very small, Archie was bustling with energy from when he got up until he staggered to bed. He liked to run down the halls and 'imagine stuff' as he put it. Getting him out of the bath was a faite in itself with how much the boy loved the water. Constantly asking for another 5 minutes because 'the pirates are finally gonna catch the shiny lugia.' He wasn't frightened by Courtney or Tabitha, although he didn't engage with them unless he knew Maxie was nearby. The grunts fawned over him; getting him clothes, toys and snacks as soon as he was allowed to stay permanently, essentially spoiling him rotten before the week's end.

There was a strange fact he had refused to let spread to the grunts; when he had taken him to the doctor to see if he had any illnesses or allergies, the doctor, a former scientist for them, said they had something they would like to check after hearing how they found Archie. Not too long after, the results had him on edge. The child, Archie, had the exact same chemical makeup as Team Aqua Leader Archie. An identical copy they said. A possible abnormality of their earlier antics when they awakened primal Kyogre and Groudon. Any plans to do further tests or experiments were shot down for humility sake.

Even with that, he listened to Maxie. Following him often as he went about his day. Drawing when he asked him to be quiet for a important meeting. Going to bed when asked, and waking up with no issues. Archie had a habit however, one he had tried to nip at the bud, but gave up on with how often the boy did it. If, in any event, Archie felt either ignored or generally seeked comfort, he'd climb into Maxie's lap and press himself against him. Regardless if in a meeting or not, and for hours at a time.

At that point, many of his subordinates, while surprised at first, now just looked at it as normal.

"Our boss sure is amazing..."

"I knew he was great...but this is just..."

"An angel."

He wished they'd spend more time working than they spent gossiping. They got impressed too easily as well he noted.

And even though they had taken him in, Maxie made sure to keep updated on if any missing reports or perhaps even Archie's family (should the test have been wrong), came forward.

"Sir!" Broken out of his thought, he nodded to two grunts and Courtney as they filed into the room. Archie was curled up in his lap, sleeping. Another thing he had thankfully figured out early on was if you held the boy, even with one arm, the time he spent there was drastically halved. Making particular meeting incidents easily handleable.

"We've received a request from Team Aqua."

"...oh?" Looking over the paper, the words seemed haphazardly typed in bold.

-To Team Magma Leader Maxie-

-How's it going bro? Been a long time since we've heard anything from you!-

He was tempted to toss the paper at that point.

-Anyway, recently we've, well mostly I, found something that's very strange. When you got the time, can you stop by Lilycove? Just you, and as soon as possible would be prefered.-

It seemed rushed, and...contradicting. A 'very strange thing'...?

-Archie

"How...brief." _Not to mention vague._ "They're requesting I go to Lilycove to oversee something they've found."

"Then we can send-"

"Alone."

The grunts visibly disapproved at the idea, sharing suspicious looks at each other.

"You and the boy should go." Courtney stated suddenly. "Fresh air is good for you. It's been almost 2 weeks..."

Ah...right...other than the doctor's visit, they haven't left the base on account of the paperwork.

"Why don't you take him to the beach Boss? Those Team Aqua delinquents won't try anything if they see you have a kid."

"I wanna go..." Archie's voice piped up sleepily, shifting in his lap. "I wanna go to beach..."

"He's been good so far, and cooping a kid up for that long is..."

"Yes, yes I get it." His voice came out more stern than anticipated, but nevertheless it shut the grunts up. "...send a message to Team Aqua's leader; agreeing to, but requesting he too be alone. The location will be Lilycove beach tomorrow at around noon."

"Yes sir!"

"Courtney, we'll need swim trunks for him. As well as sunscreen and the like." She smiled gently and nodded eagerly as he sighed.

"I hate the beach..."

"We're going to the beach?!" Now fully awake, Archie excited jumped up. Steadying himself after nearly falling backwards and Maxie caught him.

"Tomorrow morning, yes. Now get down before you fall."

"I'mma swim in the ocean and eat ice-cream and...!" Nothing could distract him after that. During the bath, as he ate, until he laid down to sleep Archie practically bounced up and down and spoke of what he was going to do. "And...an...d..."

Waiting patiently for him to fall asleep was the hardest part of the day, having made the boy a room of his own, it was the perfect temperature for sleeping. Making staying awake...

"Boss?"

"Nggh..." Blinking a few times, Maxie pushed himself up. His arm grasped tightly by Archie who was still fast asleep. "I swear to Arceus if that's a phone Tabitha..."

...virtually impossible.

"O-of course not..!" Ignoring the rustling of something being stuffed into a pocket.

He let out a yawn before waking the child, moving any toys near the bed with his feet as he stood up. A few audible pops of his back and hiss of pain fully awoke him.

"Time."

"8:30 boss."

_So we've overslept..._

"We also received a message back from Team Aqua." Handing the paper to him, he rubbed his eyes slightly, narrowing them to see the words better.

-Bro-

Where did that fool get off thinking he can call him whatever he pleased?

-Maxie, thanks. I'll be alone as promised. Me and the thing I talked about. Don't be late.-

-Archie-

That man...

"We've already readied the crobats sir."

"Good. Wake the boy while I get dressed."

"With all due respect sir..." He quirked an eyebrow at Tabitha, the other slumping his shoulders. "He is not fond of me, and might make a fuss if I attempt to..."

"He's just a child."

"He only likes you." That comment seemed ridiculous, Archie was more than pleased with how the grunts fawned over him, or how his admins played with him.

"I severely doubt that." Regardless, he shook the tiny shoulder as gently as he could. Sapphire blue orbs opening at once, before their owner jumped out of bed happily.

"Go brush your teeth before you get dressed."

"O'kay!" His form ran to the bathroom to set up his stool in a rush.

"Tabitha, we will not be attending breakfast this morning." Slipping into his own room, he called through the door.

"Of course, it will be long flight." Quietly he heard his admin tell Archie to 'Calm down. The beach isn't going anywhere.' in a stern tone, but the boy walked past him grumbling of how much of a killjoy the man was. Their banter continued well into the next 20 minutes, that of which he shut them both down with a warning.

The flight there had been tedious and uneventful, even the child began losing vigar about half way there.

"The beachhhhhhh!" As soon as they landed in Lilycove however, that energy was back full force. "Maxie Maxie...! Can we go swimming already?!"

"Let me find a spot to set up first."

A spot with a nice amount of shade, not too close to the water and a fair distance away from any 'popular' areas. He let the boy help him set out the blankets and umbrella. Putting sunscreen on them both, and then his wailmer floaties, Archie ran through the sand and dived into the water. Maxie sat down and looked around the coastline as he picked at his 'normal' clothing. Shorts, actual swimming trunks he believed, and a plain shirt really did not suit him.

"It's cold!" Archie laughed loudly. He nodded in acknowledgment. "Aren't you coming in too?"

"Not today Archie. I have to speak with someone important."

"Fineee..." He pouted and in a soft voice asked. "Next time?"

"Yes, next time." He wasn't promising anything, but right now he need the child to be calm and preoccupied while he and his old rival spoke of...whatever was so important. "Don't go too deep now."

"Yooo! Ya actually came...!" A estatic, but tired sounding voice boomed from further down the beach.

"Archie." The Aqua leader walked up to him slowly, and frankly the other's condition surprised him. His eyes were exhausted and had dark bags under them, and he had lost some muscle mass. A few stress lines had also appeared around his eyes. "What pointless thing have you dragged me out for now?"

"Gez Maxie, I'm doin swell, thanks fer askin." The larger man sighed, eyeing him warily.

"You are clearly not."

"Look I'm not here for a lecture-" He narrowed his eyes, looking at Maxie up and down. "You've gained weight."

His teeth gritted at the comment. Archie shaking his head when he realized the result.

"N-no I mean...ya actually look healthy for once."

"Is that some attempt at flattery? Still an empty headed pirate as before I see."

"HEY!" Archie was clearly not in the mood, nor the right frame of mind to argue. As his temper flared up to match Maxie's.

"MAXIEEEEE!" The sloshing of sand drew their attention to little Archie, running up to Maxie soaking wet. "There's a ton of pokemon in the water...!"

"Yes Yes, dry off before you sit down and rest, alright?" Pressing a towel against the boy's head, he rubbed it until his hair was at least not dripping. Little Archie grinned the entire time, huddling into the large towel like a blanket.

"Who's that?"

"Arch-"

"That yer kid?" Aqua's Archie suddenly spoke, looking a little baffled.

"My name's Archie!" The boy grumbled, glaring at him.

"...is that so? Guess ya found me then." Whatever he was spouting nonsense about, Maxie wasn't sure, until he noticed a small set of hands grasping the man's leg. "I found ya too."

A mess of long red hair tied back poked out from behind him, shivering and clearly terrified. His eyes large, green, and wet looked at them worriedly. Pale skin lathered in sunscreen and with black floaters, he was dressed for the beach.

"Come on Max, say hi." Lightly Archie tried to push him forward, but he just shook his head violently and moved behind him again. "Never knew ya cried so much..."

"Excuse me?" Part of him felt offended at the notion, but then he was reminded of how different the child version of Archie acted from his rival.

"I haven't had a solid wink of sleep the past week dude...the scamp cries about everything." He yawned as he petted the scared boy's head. "Can't leave him alone, can't leave him with Shelly or Matt, he's terrified of the crew...scared of the dark..."

"...I suppose that could create some issues." His Archie had expressed similar fears of the dark, but refused to cry and instead would sneak into his room if not make Maxie sleep in his bed with him.

"Ya think?"

"Archie, say hello." At the mere mention of his name, he jumped up eagerly from under the umbrella, running over to and looking at Max curiously before smiling.

"Hi! My name's Archie, what's your's?"

Little Archie's grin widened when slowly, Max peeked out from behind Archie. His voice was tiny and shaking. "...Maxie..."

"Really?! Can I call you Max?"

"Um...I...guess so..."

"Great! Let's go Max!"

"..huh? W-wait!"

Without waiting for the other, little Archie grabbed Max's hand and ran toward the water. The other stumbled a bit, trying to stutter out an excuse before he was dragged in too.

"That should keep them busy for now." Maxie sat under the umbrella with a sigh, the sun was obnoxiously bright today and every second not wasted near the water was preferable.

"Oh thank Arceus..." Without even ASKING, Archie threw himself onto the blanket next to him, making a puff of sand blow on him. With a scowl, he brushed it off while glaring at the man trying to get comfortable.

"...I found ya in my base. Near the old diving area. You were soaked to the bone, shaking an cryin like hell." He muffled out, back to the sky and face resting on his hands. "Nobody could get close to ya, and it took almost all day to get you. It's not exactly warm down there. Had to pick ya up, kickin and screamin, and forcin ya into the bath before ya finally passed out."

"YOU were in a closet. Crying in a corner." Archie snorted at that. "Covered in mud and cuts. While you avoided my subordinates, you literally forced yourself on me."

"Hah...why do ya always get the easy jobs...?"

He let the sentence hang there for a bit, instead watching the kids play in the ocean before even considering whatever the hell Archie was on about. Probably deranged rambling from lack of sleep. Maxie had his base made in a cliff, with a goal to bring about a drought causing legendary pokemon that required a water pokemon to REACH. Climbing that steep slope everytime he wanted to go anywhere was a pain, and no one on his team HAD a water pokemon. They were a ground based operation!

He considered snapping at him now, but found the man fast asleep, snoring softly. Great. Now he had to watch **both** kids.

"Come on Max! There's something shiny!" Little Archie laughed, tugging the other's hand forward. Max shuddered in the cold water, not very far from him as they waded into deeper water.

"W-wait...! Isn't that...too deep?"

"No! It's...like 5 feet!"

"That's too deep!"

"See? That shiny thing..?" The two stood hand in hand, staring at...something, the clear water soon began to bubble violently.

"Archie...Can we go...?" He could hear Max whimper, tugging little Archie's arm back.

"..Y-yeah."

"You two-" Maxie went to call them in when the bubbles ceased for a second. Not another after that, a large tentacruel burst from the water.

"CRUELLLL!"

Little Archie instantly got in front of Max, trying to shield him as they tried to back off from the enraged pokemon.

"Shit...! Crobat!" Maxie cursed. In a panic he dug out the pokeball from his bag and threw it. The moment the red vanished, he called for it to attack.

"Use Acrobatics!"

His pokemon became a blur of purple, appearing as if from air before the Tentacruel, the next moment knocking it above water a few feet into one of the capes rocks.

"Chhhhck..."

"Excellent job." He called, Max and little Archie running back to the beach before sluggishly walking onto the sands.

"*hic* ahHHHH...*hic*" They were still hand in hand, Max shaking violently and sobbing while his Archie...had a stoic face.

"Are you two alright?" He looked them over quickly, checking for any prick or sting marks.

"... ... ..."

"Archie? What's wrong?" He heard him whisper something, but it was too soft for him to catch. Glancing around, Maxie lowered himself to Archie's eye level, gently moving his head upward to get him to look at him. "Come on...what's wrong?"

"I...I wasn't scared..." He suddenly cried out, large tears forming in his eyes. "I wasn't...!"

_...*sigh* _Neither child was injured thankfully, but they were deeply shaken from the experience. First he wrapped them in towels (sacrificing his emergency towel), and had attempted to get them an ice cream, but in their condition, he ended up back under the umbrella, little Archie and Max pressed against him in his lap crying in unison. His crobat circling the area angrily, even against his wishes.

_All the while this bastard is still asleep...!_ The smoldering anger rose with each hour that passed, the children refused to move, terrified of the water and seeking comfort from HIM.

"...hold still." Pulling out his handkerchief, he wiped his child's eyes before doing the same for Max, then covering the little nose and commanding him to blow before wiping it clean. _Ugh..._

"... ...never knew you were the maternal type Maxie." The sleepy laugh that followed tempted him to throw Archie into the water with the Tentacruel. How long had he been up?! Slowly, the Aqua leader sat up, stretching and smiling wide at him. "Ya have no idea how much I needed that."

"*hic*..." Max's sobs had died down at this point, his grip on Maxie's shirt only slacking slightly. Noticing his tears, as well as little Archie's, he gave a panicked glance.

"...what happened now?"

"...there was a Tentacruel in the water. It tried to attack them."

"W-what?!" He all but shouted, making the kids jerk in surprise. "Why didn't ya wake me up?!"

The glare Maxie sent him shut him up instantly.

"Sorry..." It sounded forced, but it was enough. Archie at least looked SOMEWHAT apologetic. He understood the man was tired, but still!

"I took care of it."

"... ... ..." Rubbing the back of his head, Archie seemed to be internally fighting himself before getting up and offering his hand. "Ya haven't eaten yet, right? How bout we get dinner? My treat."

Narrowing his eyes, Maxie looked at him suspiciously. The sudden offer was strange. Even for helping his 'child.'

"Come on Maxie, the kids are probably starving. And well..." He could see Archie's face visibly tense as he muttered. "I...owe you one."

"... fine." Standing up, he shooed the kids off the blankets after taking off and deflating the floaters. As well as getting proper clothes for them (and borrowing Max some of Archie's). Rolling up the blankets, he shook off any sand and packed them away in the bag before handing it to Archie. "You can make yourself useful then."

"... ... Yer like a demanding mother." Another glare, this time harsher, quieted him into muttering under his breath.

"Crobat. We're going." Calling out near the shore, his pokemon returned to its pokeball after giving the surface one more circle. "Good job."

"Are we going home?" Little Archie asked, keeping close to Max.

"We're going to eat first, alright?" The child nodded, the other nodding in understanding as well. Maxie ushered them up the staircase back towards town, Archie following behind.

"... we have to go with HIM?" Well...that was sudden. Little Archie's words were sharp and angry, giving Archie a heated look that caught both adults by surprise.

"Archie.." A warning tone, as much as he was at odds with the man, he would not tolerate disrespect at such a young age. Max looked stunned by the other's anger, shaking at the tone he used.

"... ... ...*hmph!*" With another annoyed look, little Archie grabbed Maxie's hand and pulled Max to grab his other. Both children's hands gripping his first two fingers while Archie snickered.

"How precious." Archie mocked.

"Say another word and I'll throw you in with the Tentacruel."

"Ya know, Mother Maxie does have a nice ring to it-"

"Since Archie has been so _kind_ to treat us, get whatever you want."

"Huh?! Anything?!" Both children looked up at him excitedly, Archie's sudden snark dying down to worry. "Yayy!"

"..." Maxie could feel daggers being stared into his back, making his victorious smile all the more enraging to the Aqua leader. And all the more sweeter at his reaction to the bill.


	3. Chapter 3

Jobs had become rather scarce in the following weeks. Enough to keeps things going strong, but otherwise leaving Team Magma and everyone in it with copious amounts of free time. So much so many had begun taking up hobbies and for some part time jobs.

"The c-cat sat in the...back, with the rat. To...togeth-her-"

"Together."

"Together! Together they went to scu...school."

Maxie on the other hand had decided to spend more time with the child. He had nothing better to do anyway. Thus, he figured, why not teach little Archie early? Reading, spelling, math, science...with a little patience he knew the boy could become a prodigy.

He already had an infatuation with art; sketching, painting, coloring, even a bit of sculpting. Thankfully Courtney had known of a place that sold reasonably priced art supplies with the amount of pencils Archie had made a few inches long from constant sharpening.

"Maxieeeee."

"Archie, don't whine." Maxie had begun cleaning up the mess of pencil shavings on the table before lining up the stack of books into proper order. "What is it?"

"I'm dyinggggg." In an over dramatic fashion, little Archie posed as if in pain on the floor.

"Dinner is in a hour. You'll survive."

"No...! Look! See? My stomachs all sunken in!"

This child...now he could see the resemblance between him and the grown one.

"That's because you're lying down."

"Tabitha's belly doesn't! And he's ALWAYS healthy!"

"Archie-" He began. How could you explain the varying body types of others to a child who didn't, no, REFUSED to listen to why he couldn't sleep in the bath at night instead of his bed? "What are you even getting at?"

"Well..." Sitting up, the child smiled slyly.

"Well...?" He pressed. Regardless how smart he thought he was, little Archie was rather obvious.

"We've been doing lots of Math stuff...and reading and ya know? Brain stuff." Giving a glance at the practice sheets before continuing. "You and Tabitha and Courtney all say to eat to keep your energy up. And you said sugar's brain food so..."

"Are you suggesting I'm working you too hard?" He quirked up an eyebrow. "And that your brain energy is 'dangerously' low?"

"Yes!" Archie nodded, acting rather impressed.

"And what is your plan to fix that?"

"Just one cookie."

"Just one?" Maxie repeated, holding in a chuckle.

"Only one." Little Archie tried to act casual, before quickly adding. "The pokemon ones. And then I'll be fine til dinner."

Pretending to think it over, he watched the child's face go from relaxed to pleading. He had to give him credit, as far as an argument for something went, as untrue as it was, for such a young boy it was pretty sound. Sighing, Maxie muttered a 'fine.'

"Um...! I'll pick it out to...you know..." Fumbling, the tiny feet followed him to the cabinet. "Make sure it has enough fuel!"

A vibration in his pocket dragged his attention to a phone call from a number...he...

"How did you get my number?!" Trying to keep his voice controlled, he heard Team Aqua's leader Archie grumble something. "ARCHIE-!"

The child visibly flinched, and Maxie quickly patted his shoulder before placing the cookie container back on the shelf. "No, not you."

"It's on the parole papers they sent us." Archie muttered again, much more audible this time. His tone was on edge, and the usual insults seemed to be traded for moodiness.

"What, then."

"What...?"

"What are you bothering me for?" The confused voice his rival had answered him with only sparked irritation. Calling him on his private phone, with no idea why he even did so...?!

"You...!" A low growl was heard before Archie spoke up again. "...I need a favor."

"... ... ...What." For a moment the line went silent, and he considered hanging up on the man.

"I need ya to watch Max for a few."

"A few...what? Hours?"

"...days." Of all the...!

"Archibald...!" Maxie was no babysitter. Free or no he would not let his rival throw another child at him to take care of while he-

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT!" The snarl on the other side made him move the phone away from his ear. A few pants, and the sound of crying in the background was all that was audible for a few minutes. "... ... ...you still there?"

"Real mature."

"Shut it." Another sigh. "Can ya or can't ya?"

"... ... ..." Maxie glanced at little Archie. The boy was sitting and waiting patiently for him to join him on the couch, munching on a munchlax cookie and trying to be as neat about it as possible.

"Maxie?"

The research he read on child care kept going on about socializing early to better stop any issues later. There were no children in the base, nor nowhere near them. As happy as he was, when he was put into school, as he would have to be at some point, it would be preferable to have shyness be one of the last concerns.

"Did he...?! MAXIE."

Scrunching his nose, Maxie kept his tone as even as possible. "...how many days?"

"...!" A muffled grumble of surprise was heard before Archie finally answered. "Four. Five at the latest."

"...that's more than a 'few,' Archie."

"I gotta do some projects for a buncha bigwigs and I'll be outta town. SOMEONE has to watch Max, and everyone else, from grunt to admin, are already neck deep in work!"

"... ... ..." Almost a week. Could he even handle that? Well, technically he had the grunts too...if they weren't busy.

"Please?"

_Well Well well..._

The word sounded foreign, forced and very very pathetic.

"Fine." Maxie supposed he could be nice, just this once. It didn't stop a laugh from escaping at the other's desperation however.

"... ...yer fucking laughing aren't ya?!"

"I have no idea what you're going on about." Rolling his eyes at the string of curses that followed. "When should I expect him?"

"Tomorrow." The reply was immediate. "I need to leave immediately so..."

"...alright."

"... ... ..."

"Was there something else?" He swore he could hear Archie mumbling something. "Hmm?"

"...No. Nothing."

"Yes, you're welcome Archibald." Pressing end call, he smirked at the roar he caused the other to make before hanging up.

"Archie?" He called, placing the phone back into his pocket.

"Yeah?" Little Archie looked up from flipping through the channels on TV. His show wouldn't be on for another 10 minutes.

"Max is coming to stay over for awhile."

"REALLY?!" He jumped off the couch and ran up to him, hopping slightly. "When? For how long?!"

"Tomorrow, and for a couple days."

"He's gonna sleep here too?! So like a sleepover?!" Maxie nodded and little Archie began running around cleaning up. A strange sight for such a messy child.

Dinner was a bit quiet that evening, many of the base's inhabitants were away so just once, he allowed him and the boy eat in his office. Archie was watching some action ranger show, and was fully engrossed to the point he had to remind the child his food was getting cold.

|Next time on Hoenn Rangers: Coexistence force!|

"I wonder if Max watches Hoenn Rangers too..."

"Archie don't talk when brushing your teeth." Picking up a hand towel Maxie held it under his chin. "You're drooling everywhere."

"Sarrie." Sighing, he wiped the boy's face as the other smiled sheepishly. "Um...Maxie?"

"Hm?"

Little Archie grew quiet and quickly shook his head and refused to look at him.

"N-nevermind."

Maxie watched him push the stool back into place before rushing off to his bedroom.

_Odd..._

Any attempt to talk to Archie was met with an embarrassed 'I can sleep by myself!' and for the first time in awhile, Maxie went to his room by himself without reading to the child. While concerned, he shook it off to some attempt at independence.

After some time of restless turning, sleep came in a sudden wave that was disturbed by a soft groaning sound. Though groggy, the soft pitter patter of feet nearing his bed made him shift more towards the wall. A slight weight and noise of effort was 'ignored' as he felt Archie's hands grip his shirt.

"Maxie..." A light tugging turned almost urgent, shaking his back near violently.

"... ... ..." He made a muffled sound of annoyance, but turned over to look at him. "Mng...what?"

"C..can I sleep with you...? 'm sorry..." Little Archie's voice shook with each word. Sounding tiny, scared even.

"...what for?" Rolling over on his back, Maxie let his arm lay extended as Archie snuggled up to his side. He tried to rest his head on the man's shoulder, moving around to find a comfortable position before finally settling near Maxie's chest.

"...promise you won't get mad...?"

Giving him a small nod, he could feel his head lower slightly.

"Is it okay...if I call you dad?" Maxie felt his muscles tense, his mind being fully awakened at the child's words. Patient silence followed, waiting for his response through the darkness and glow of the clock. Shakily, he ran a hand through his hair, heaving out a long breath while trying to find the proper words.

Maxie had never wanted kids. Not only was it impossible, he believed, to find a wife with his lifestyle, but the idea typically made him wince at the stupidity. Children were messy, parasitic things that required lots of time and energy for a indeterminable future. You could raise them with all the 'love' and 'care' you wanted, throwing your life away to make sure they had a chance to be the best. Yet at any point those children could destroy everything you did, or worse, become something that no parent could make excuses for anymore. That thought of choosing such a gamble, willingly and eagerly...baffled him.

"!" Little Archie looked up at him surprised as he ruffled the child's hair. A gamble...no, an experiment. Ignoring something he could not understand was more worrisome than the fleeting doubt of other's failures. He was intelligent, he would learn why and how. This event was not very shocking either, being the sole guardian to such a young child would eventually lead to this at some point anyway.

"I'm not exactly very fitting of the father role." He tried to explain this to little Archie. Not as a dismissal, but to get the other to understand.

"You're very nice to me!" The sudden loudness instantly lowered. "Mama and papa...they went on a trip and never came back...it was scary all by myself...they wouldn't let me go with 'em. I don't know why...but you're always here. You never leave me by myself. Even when you get mad...you don't scream at me. Mama always did, and papa was never home."

Maxie had never asked about the boy's parents, nor did he feel he had the right to ask Archie. Whenever the subject was brought up little Archie would get quiet, and avoided it until it was dropped. He had warned the grunts to not speak of the matter any further, as any attempt clearly distressed Archie greatly.

"So...so..." He could feel him clinging to his form, trembling and trying not to cry.

"Alright."

"... ... *sniffle*" He wasn't crying, but little Archie buried his face into his side before falling asleep. Maxie layed there for a few moments, listening to the quiet breathing and ticking of the clock. Over thinking, worrying over such a matter...that was pointless. Closing his eyes with that thought, he too fell asleep.

"Sir...? Sir wake up!" A frantic knocking at his door dragged his mind from the first real good night of rest he had had in ages. Whether it was one of his grunts, or his admins, he would respond with a sharp 'WHAT.'

"I'm sorry sir but a Team Aqua Crobat has been spotted heading toward the base with an unknown passenger." Glancing at the clock, the lights read 10:54 am.

_Ugh...already...?_

"I'll be out in a moment." Waking Archie, he moved to the wardrobe and tied back his bedhead to look somewhat presentible. He considered changing the sweater he had slept in, but it wasn't wrinkled or stained so he left it. With all the free time he had, he briefly realized how...sloppy, he was becoming. Lazy even.

Maxie snorted. How preposterous. Him, the great Maxie, lazy? SLOPPY?! He was nothing short of perfect-! Glancing down, he noticed his black pants were very much wrinkled, but they weren't THAT wrinkled- Oh god he was becoming a slob.

"Sir?"

"Coming." Responding sternly, he gave Archie one last shake before leaving the room, and following behind one of the grunts that turned into many as they walked outside. Surrounding the area in a circle as a crobat, Archie's, Maxie knew, slowly lowered onto the ground.

"Relax." His voice rang out over their murmurs, making many flinch before doing as instructed.

"...ua.h..." A soft whimper could be heard, and he had expected to see Team Aqua's leader. Instead there just sat a very violently shaking Max, eyes as wide as saucers and a large bag hanging off the pokemon's midsection.

_He...didn't seriously...?_ As soon as Max noticed him, the child cried his name, sobbing uncontrollably. _That idiot PUT THE KID ON A CROBAT BY HIMSELF FOR 2 HOURS?!_

His grunts looked between them and then back at him, eyeing their leader as he picked the boy up and moved him to one arm. Using the other to take the bag and shouldering it with a huff. It was heavy, loaded to near bursting and a hideous shade of blue with a obnoxiously large Aqua symbol plastered on the front.

"Uawwhhh...*hic*" Max hid in the crook of Maxie's neck, fists full of red sweater and choking back sobs. Cooing softly to him, he instructed his team to feed the very tired and confused pokemon.

"Boss...um...who's the kid?"

A small group of grunts were watching him intently. If this was before, he could and would yell at them to get back to work, that he owed them no explanation. He was trying, really it was so hard, to be more...tolerant of them. Beyond their constant questions and probing eyes were competent individuals. Just...sometimes...

"I'm watching him this week." Anymore information could jeopardize their secret, if not give them the wrong idea about him and Archie. Bare basic need to know scenarios had never been his cup of tea. He liked to know who was all for or no, not trusting the silly thing called blind devotion.

Balancing the two weights on his shoulders were an act in itself. To keep it seemly normal meant less questions. Max had quieted down to a stray hiccup every so often. Cheek pressed against Maxie's turtleneck and green eyes looking at him unsure.

_Wait, __**green**__?_

Doing a double take he squinted, making sure he saw that right. Had he not noticed before?

"... ...?" Blinking, the child hesitantly reached a hand out and touched his face.

"...what are you doing?" One hand tiny hand, then two pressed against Maxie's cheeks. Max was being very gentle, pushing and moving his face curiously. The boy seemed to have no interest answering him, too wrapped up in...whatever it was he was doing. So, lightly, he nipped the finger close to his mouth. Immediately Max pulled his hands back, eyeing his finger and then looking back up at him. Cautiously the hand went for his face again, and again he lightly nipped a finger.

"... ... ..." The puffed cheeks and poor excuse for a glare were enough confirmation that the child knew full well what he was doing. Probably what he did to Archie's unconscious body from all the reported projects Team Aqua had taken on. The amount was ridiculous, even to Maxie.

"Move down." Max's voice shook a little, but the determination on his face almost made him seem serious.

"Why?" He muttered. It was somewhat amusing watching a younger version of himself get so flustered and refusing to answer anything further, but he had a door to somehow open with both hands full. Hoping there was no breakables, he dropped the aqua bag and went to grab the door handle.

He felt Max's arms wrap around his neck, pressing himself as close as possible without suffocating him. Sighing, Maxie just let it happen. Fighting children on that matter had gotten him nowhere near instantly. Kicking the barely ajar door he shuffled into his office while dragging the bag by it's handle.

_I honestly don't recall ever being this clingy..._

"Archie!" The bag was thrown on the couch. "Max is here."

The thudding of feet rushing toward him gave little warning to little Archie tackling his leg.

"Maxxxx! Welcomeeee!" Maxie snorted, the child giggled and waved to a slowly smiling Max.

The next few days were filled with chasing after two laughing children. Not surprisingly his grunts warmed up to Max near instantly.

"I wanna read The Very Hungry Wailord!"

"...but Mother Swana Rhymes..."

Both would press their favorite books into his face, making him read both each night before they would sleep.

"I can't carry you both. You're too heavy-" And both would ignore his explanations on why he couldn't carry them both everywhere. Making his arms sore from two children clinging to his sweater at any point they could ask.

"No, no more snacks. You're going to eat soon." Having to deal with two pouting kids that begged worse than any mightyena asking, for the third time that day, for another cookie.

As the 4th day slowed down to sunset, Maxie sat surrounded by the two kids, reading them the only book they both would agree on; 'My big pokemon book.'

"Oooh...what's that?!" Archie pointed excitedly to a picture of a wooper dancing.

"That's a wopper. It's from the Johto and Sinnoh regions."

"Um...and this one?" Max pointed at a houndour howling.

"That is a houndour. It's from Johto and Sinnoh too, but you can find them in Kalos as well." They took turns pointing out pokemon they found interesting. Each one Maxie tried to explain to the best of his ability. Little Archie had an interest in water types, but also some bug and even a few fire types. Max liked the fire types but had some favorited water and ghost types too.

_Both are rather different than Archie and I..._Speaking of the Aqua leader, the next time he ran into him he would check the man's eye color. That little fact had been bothering him since he noticed Max's green eyes. For a 'carbon copy,' he wasn't exact.

Maxie didn't have green eyes. Never did. It had always been an irritating, if somewhat cruelly ironic shade of dark blue. Almost the same as little Archie's.

"Sir!" A series of knocks broke him out of his thoughts. "Team Aqua Leader Archie has-"

"Yo. I'm here to pick up Max." The poor grunt nearly shrieked at the larger man's sudden appearance. Quickly Maxie calmed them down while avoiding the panicked questions of 'WHY IS HE HERE SIR?!' and 'THE KID IS **HIS**?!' By the time he shooed them away, it was apparent any attempts of avoiding a scandalous rumor had up and vanished with the arrival of his very zombie-like rival.

"Archie you imbecile, you can't just-...Archie?" Pursing his lips, he narrowed his eyes. Archie was very pale, the bags under his eyes much more pronounced than the time at the beach and his expression was blank. "Are...are you alright?"

"'m fine." Each word was roughly stressed to a flat toned voice. His body swayed a little bit, like he was filled with too much energy when clearly that wasn't the case.

"... ... ..." Maxie sighed lowly. Carefully he guided Archie to his room, instructing a very compliant pirate to sleep. Oh had the tables had turned with that. He'd bother him later about eye color and his incompetence at child safety. Right now he doubted his rival could hold a conversation, much less make the 2 hour flight back home without passing out.

"Is papa asleep?"

Maxie's head jerked at Max's words as he closed the door. "Er...yes, Archie's sleeping."

"Papa works too much..." Max muttered sadly. Making a small twinge of nostalgia tug at Maxie's memory. "But he plays with me when he can...mom and dad never did."

Honestly he had no desire to remember his childhood. The past was the past. His parents were still around, as strained as their relationship was. Yet he was starting to get an idea of at what time these children appeared from.

"Did they...say they were going to a dig site in Kanto?" Bits and pieces of memory still remained of that day. His parents told him they had a new project to collect volcanic samples from Cinnabar Island in the Kanto region. That children weren't allowed to go so he had to watch the house. His parents never bothered with babysitters, always saying they could trust their 'little genius' for a few days.

It took them almost 2 weeks to come home. They refused to speak of what happened, nor did they call during that time. Too busy working. Always too busy. It took months for Maxie to learn that there had been an eruption on the island. That instead of leaving as instructed, his parents had stayed and collected even more samples despite the dangers. And he would have never known if they hadn't come back.

Max nodded, eyes getting teary as he shifted closer and hugged Maxie's leg. "They said they'd call...they never do but they promised this time...they promised..."

"Come on...it's time for bed. Look, Archie's already in his pajamas." Slowly he edged him to the bathroom, letting him dress and brush his teeth before they joined little Archie in bed.

"You guys took foreverrrrr!" He pushed himself into Maxie's lap, Max eventually doing the same as they voted over what book he'd read to them tonight.

"...and little budew never told a lie again. The end." Maxie shifted the book away, the 'little budew that cried houndoom' storybook was put back onto the low hanging shelf. Both kids fast asleep in his arms. He wouldn't be able to sleep on the couch tonight as he had planned. Stuck, again, in a somewhat comfortable but otherwise crowded bed. Hopefully he'd wake up before they did. He really needed a long bath.


	4. Chapter 4

"...ax...e...?...a..." Through the haze of sleep Archie could hear...something. Voices maybe. The bed was so comfortable though. Getting up and checking who or what it was felt like too much of a pain. He was exhausted.

"Pa...? ...ke u..." He shifted a bit, something sweet smelling filled his nose as he buried his face into the pillow. Ignoring the feeling of hands, small insistent hands, touching him. Had this been about 3 month's prior he would have woken with a fright thinking he was in a horror movie.

"Pa-pa! Wake up!" Another rough shake of his shoulder. _Noooo..._

"Get up old man! Get! Up!" Another voice, loud in his ear. Archie tried to turn over. Maybe the pillow could block them out?

"...! There you two are. I leave you alone for 2 minutes- Get off of him and let him sleep!" A third voice, farther away but familiar. Much too familiar.

"'s fine...I'm up I'm up." He groaned, stretching a bit before collapsing fully on the bed. Two weights were on his side, moving and shaking his shoulder again.

"See? I told ya we could wake 'em up!"

"Papa! Come onnnn! You're gonna miss breakfast!"

"Archie get off him. Max you too. You both know better." Foot steps neared him, stopping at the base as he felt both weights disappearing from his side.

"Maxie...?" Archie called, pulling his face out of the pillow to look around. Spotting his old rival with a child in each arm, looking a tad peeved but otherwise relaxed. His little double happily clinging to him while Max was observing him buried against Maxie's shoulder.

"You can go back to sleep-"

"No...I'm up." He forced himself up, the black satin blankets pooling to his waist. The temperature in the room only made him start to doze off again. It was so warm, but not stuffy or humid.

"Then go take a shower. Breakfast should be done shortly." Maxie huffed as the children began chatting back and forth.

"Yes _Mother_." If his hands weren't full Archie bet he would've sent him a dirty look judging from the intense side ways stare he got. But he shrugged it off. Even with a full night's rest he felt dead and right now a shower would do a whole lotta good.

"It's on your left." He heard Maxie call as he exited the room and slipped into the bathroom.

Boy was he right. With Maxie's home being so intertwined and near the natural springs and lava meant the water was a perfect soaking temperature. He could've spent all day in the porcelain tub staring up at the carefully carved ceiling. Steam rose and he considered taking a quick nap. He doubted, or rather, he didn't care if Maxie minded.

Archie was **tired**. All that work they kept piling on him and his crew for probation was ridiculous. But he couldn't say no. Not only for pride's sake, but because the papers literally said he HAD to.

Maxie definitely had the better end of the stick on this one. There was so much less land than water. So much so that even in slow season there was an endless amount of work to be done. He couldn't leave all that to his team. Archie already nearly destroyed their lives once. He wasn't going to throw his work on them too. They had finally started to move on. Some were even getting married!

"Archie-" Archie jolted up, dragging the curtain to cover anything as the door opened.

"Holy shi-!? Ever hear of KNOCKING?!" Maxie just waltzed into the bathroom like he owned the place-! Er...well he technically did but its the PRINCIPLE!

His rival rolled his eyes at him, folding his arms and just stood there. "Are you about done? Breakfast is ready."

"YES! Okay 'm getting out, so...shoo." Archie felt his fists tug the black shower curtain as he made a face at the man. Maxie just quirked an eyebrow at him.

"I'd expect a pirate to be less...timid."

"Who are ya callin timid?!" He barked, shame burning his cheeks.

"Just hurry up. It's getting cold." Maxie turned before stopping again. "Ah, and your clothes are currently in the wash so-"

"HOW?!" He snapped. He had taken his clothes off IN the bathroom! They were right...! Right...? "Did ya come in here earlier...?!"

"I...you _looked_ at me while I picked them up!" The redhead threw up his hands in frustration.

"... ... ..." Okay so he wasn't paying attention and maybe he had been dozing off. Sue him. "...mng..."

"*sigh* like I was saying; your clothes are in the wash, I left you some clean clothes on the sink."

"Why." He seethed.

"Judging from the fact you failed to take care of yourself when you arrived I shudder to think what condition you've let your clothes be in." Maxie wrinkled his nose. "I'm not letting such filth on my furniture."

"Well jokes on ya nerd! That bed I slept in-!"

"The sheets and blanket have already been washed. The pillow is next." That made Archie scowl. Maxie was always one step ahead if it meant just pissing him off. "Now hurry up."

He shut the door behind him and Archie considered getting back in the bath. Just out of spite. It'd be pointless though, and hey he WAS getting a free meal out of it. On top of free baby sitting.

That one made him huff. Okay so he was kind of being a dick to the guy who willingly watched his kid for free for almost a week. And let him sleep in his base. And was now giving him clean clothes and a hot meal.

_FUCK...!_ He grumbled irritably. Not that Archie didn't appreciate the change in behavior. Maxie was so much more...or rather less...like his old self. His maybe 4 months ago old self. Had it really already been that long? Not like he had much time to enjoy the time off...

The clothes...oddly fit. The pants were a little baggy but he could work with that. Beat the strict office attire he had to wear now more often than not. Finding button ups in his size was difficult to say the least.

He glanced at the door, the handle was jiggling a bit. _Oh for Arceus's sake...! _

"Maxie I just sai-"

"Hurry uppppp!" His little self swung the door open and glared at him. "Yer takin forever!"

"Yeah Yeah..." Archie didn't know what the little guy had against him. Maybe a bad first impression since he passed out that one time? He wasn't sure. "'m comin."

"... ... old man." He flinched before frowning at the boy. His gaze was unwavering like Maxie's even as Archie loomed over him. Shrugging, he just picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. "Put me dowwwnnnn!"

"Ah, there you two are." Maxie was already at a table. As was the food. He ignored the face his rival made at his hair. Like HE was one to talk! "... I take it Archie convinced you to...how did he put it...?"

"'Move his butt?'" Max asked. Looking rather happy to see him. At least someone was.

"Quite. Anyway, sit." The kids instantly tried to claim ownership of Maxie's lap. Which was met with a scolding and a reminder _there were other seats_. Archie was then given a viewing of what he assumed was a normal long winded explanation by the scamps on why it was so important they take his lap. After which they settled on Max taking Archie's and his little self as the sole person to sit next to Maxie.

"Okay...so..." He cleared his throat. "What am I here for?"

"First..." Maxie swallowed his jam soaked toast. "I'm going to yell at you."

"Look if it's about the babysitting-"

"YOU PUT MAX ON A CROBAT UNATTENDED FOR 2 HOURS." That cut throat tone made his voice falter. But his words... "DO YOU HAVE ANY INKLING ON HOW DANGEROUS THAT IS?!"

"I...did what?" Archie could feel the color drain from his face. He had been sure to ask a grunt to go with...at least...he was pretty sure he had.

"... ... ..." Maxie heaved a heavy sigh. Rubbing his temples as stress registered on his face. Archie could only glance down at Max who was happily enjoying some jam. Eventually looking up at him in confusion before smiling at him. "I understand you are taking on a large amount of work at the moment and you aren't properly taking care of yourself. I've...been there. This does not mean however that this can happen again."

"No sh-er...no duh." He shifted a bit. Controlling his language as best he could. The redhead's stare could shatter rocks if he glared at it hard enough. It was oddly...touching that Maxie was sympathizing with him. That and very very weird. Maybe the entire time they were rivals he had just not slept? Just worked and was super grumpy? That'd explain a lot.

"Ever." Maxie raised the knife he had been using and pointed it at him. His tone dark and threatening. "Do you understand? I don't care how tired you are. If you are going to put that boy on a pokemon by himself-"

"Yes! I get it! I screwed up...! Gez...ya don't hafta rub it in..." He slunk into himself, resting his chin on Max's head. "... ... what are ya gonna yell at me about next?"

"Oh...the other thing...well, that can wait until after breakfast." Maxie took another bite of his omelette. "It'll be quick. I just need to check a few things."

"Check...?" Archie tried to question. Get it out of the way so he could just leave already. After his clothes were dry anyway. Suddenly he was reminded of the thing he had forgotten to ask about. "So...Max has his stuff'd pokedoll right? The spinda? He can't sleep without it."

"It was in the bag yes? Indeed he has it but he has had no trouble sleeping without it." He quirked an eyebrow again. "He's usually the first to fall asleep too."

"That's cuz your sweater is super soft!" Archie's smaller self added. Grinning at Maxie playfully.

"... ... are you like the child whisperer or somethin'?" The level of things Maxie was capable of was starting to unnerve him. Archie was good with kids for the most part from experience. He had always liked them while his rival...didn't seem the type.

"I merely researched child care and the like. That and...luck I suppose." He glanced away, almost looking embarrassed. "I am not very fond of them."

"... ... ..uh huh, right." Archie rolled his eyes at him. Jabbing an accusing finger at the arm being held by his smaller self with his little hand holding onto Maxie's hand. "Only someone who just _hates_ kids would-"

"I never said I hate them."

"Just admit it already. Ya love 'em." They stared each other down. The redhead's irritation clear as day as Archie grinned. "Yer practically his dad now!"

"He IS my dad!" His little self snapped at him. Glowering at Archie like he just said the most insulting thing possible. "He's Max's too!"

"Oh? And what does that make me?"

"... ... an unwanted thing." A familiar stinging phrase pricked the back of Archie's brain. Wheeling it back much too far. He felt his grin drop into a thin line.

Part of him hated the look of recognition in Maxie's eyes. The words he had tried to sound stern coming out harsh. "ARCHIE! Apologize this instant!"

"He's never there for Max! He's...!" Contrary to his words his little self looked more than apologetic, but still angry. Eyes burning fiercely at him. "He's just gonna leave too!"

"... ... ..." His breath came out shaky. His knuckles had turned white clutching the table. He needed to calm down. Needed to...to...

"Papa just works alot. He always comes back. And he calls lots!" Max, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up. His voice was a little quiet, but happy. Archie never questioned why the kid needed, not wanted but NEEDED him to call at least once a day. He had chalked it up to Maxie's parents most likely working long hours away. It did strike him as odd when the first time he actually called, not once but as many times as he could fit into his schedule to check up on him, Max had cried. Not a worried or sad one, a genuinely happy one. Only after that first week away and many calls later did he actually start to open up. "Um...even if his friends are kinda scary...they're nice too..."

"... ... ...'m sorry..." It was almost inaudible but his little self looked up at him sincerely sorry. Quickly muttering to cover it up with. "... M-my dad too. He's nice and..."

The kids spoke to each other back and forth, each moment Archie kept his eyes away from Maxie's. Trying to keep his composure as the food disappeared and they stood up to collect Max's things.

"... ... ..." His throat felt heavy. Body much more tired then it should be. He needed to rest. Just go comatose for a few days. Drinking wasn't an option anymore, and with a kid to watch...

"You two go get Max's toys. It's in the yellow bin." Maxie waved them off, eyeing them as they ran into another room. The silence between him and Archie was suffocating and awkward.

He heard a cough, his rival folded his arms and was looking around nervously. It really pissed him off.

"No I don't wanna talk about it." He grumbled, not even bothering to look at Maxie.

"I wasn't going to ask." A flat out lie. The nervous tapping of his foot made it obvious he had something to say. "I'm just confused on how to go about the next thing."

_Next?_ "Don't stick yer nose where-" A sudden tug on his beard dragged him down to Maxie's level. "The hell are you doing now?"

"I had wished there was a more elegant way to do this but...oh well."

What was he going on about. What the hell was he doing...?! The nonplused face that got closer to his made Archie want to jump back. Way too close. Much much too close for his liking. The pull of his beard only kinda hurt. He assumed Maxie was trying to be gentle.

"Stop moving." His back froze. He met the studying look with a only slightly panicked glare. Probing eyes were staring at...something. Very intensely. All he could do is wait. Wait and look at Maxie's face to not seem like a nervous schoolgirl. Still pale as hell, a bit of freckles barely visible on his nose, wearing normal glasses against blue eyes. Archie narrowed his eyes. Blue? Had they always been blue? He was sure Maxie had green ones...

"... ... as I thought." Maxie let go, a thoughtful look crossing his features. A small smile ghosting his lips. "You don't have blue eyes."

"Uh...no. I don't." Was that what this was about? "And ya don't have green ones."

"So you've finally caught on hm? No, I don't have green eyes." A tap of a long finger. "Archie does though. And Max has green eyes."

"So...they have the other's..." That fact hurt Archie's head. "Why?"

Maxie shrugged but continued. "Maybe they're a mix of the both of us?"

"Pfft. Ya right. Max might be more shy but he's just like you!"

"Like so."Maxie walked to the small table, picking up 4 papers. "Max brought this over to finish."

Archie noticed one of them being the one he and Max had drawn together. A crudely drawn ship they had named and he had...

"You have no artistic talent." It sounded more like a statement than a question but Archie held back a rebuttal. "Archie does," Another two papers, both drawn quite well and proportionate. "..while Max is better with building things." This time he presented a small tower made of glued paper. A little plain but otherwise very detailed. "Do you get it?"

_But what does it mean?!_

"I'm not sure what it means exactly. It's just a possibility." As if reading his mind Maxie answered before going quiet. Maybe expecting to hear his input.

"We're doneeee!" The scamps came with their arms full and grinning ear to ear. Archie felt a smile tug at his mouth. Max was giggling and running around while trying to get his attention.

"Papa! Are we going home now?" He looked a bit sad.

"Yeah, we gotta get goin'." For a second he looked at Maxie who had skillfully packed the bag up with room to spare.

"Here."

"... ... ..." He slung it onto his arm and picked up Max. Resting him on his arm while the little redhead buried his face in Archie's neck. He met the blue gaze that had left the set of smaller ones who refused to look at him. "Maybe ya should stop overthinking everything."

"... ... perhaps." A odd tone he hadn't heard Maxie use in quite awhile. "Or perhaps it's better to use overthinking as an excuse for a unwanted apology."

It was cryptic in a 'I pulled something off flawlessly' tone that didn't click until after the scamps said goodbye and he was already in the air.

_... ...that bastard...!_ Maxie had dragged his attention away from what his younger part had brought up. Keeping him in a certain frame of mind on something pointless but slightly interesting until it passed.

Maxie wanted to apologize for his other's bringing up the past. He had figured out it upset Archie greatly so he avoided the subject entirely. Going so far to make ARCHIE forget it entirely, even if for just a moment.

He didn't know if he should punch Maxie or hug him. What he DID know was he was gonna keep any favors at a minimum from now on.


End file.
